Okay, I have been missing since February…and I have no good excuse. I have been doing better on my Here’s the Clean… blog, but even that has had a few missed days.

So, coming back to my main website, what am I talking about — a Jukebox musical. But hey, I can talk about anything I like. It’s my website. 🙂

I love Rock and Roll. I freely admit that. I went into Rock of Ages not expecting a whole lot, but thinking it would be a good way to kill a couple of hours so that I didn’t have to sit in Newell’s parking garage while I waited for him to get off work.

I freaking loved it.

I’ve heard complaints about certain aspects of the movie — the love interests are pretty, but bland…for example. Well, that is really what the ingenue and her male counterpart are classically expected to be. Go back to the classic stock characters, and they were spot on.

It really was very much a classic Commedia dell’arte structure, with Sherrie and Drew being the innamorati; Dennis and Lonny the clowns; Stacee Jaxx il Capitano to some extent; and Paul il Dottore. Whether or not this was intended or a happy accident of theater — since that is where the story originated — I don’t know, but it is fun to contemplate.

The story is very much tried and true…”Small Town Girl” comes to the big city seeking fame and fortune. She meets “Aspiring Young Singer” who helps her out — and asks her for a date ten minutes after they meet. Hey, it’s a musical.

They work for a veteran rock groupie and his right hand man in an iconic Rock and Roll hangout on the Strip in 1987 L.A.

Throw a restless Rock legend, a sleazy manager, and an intrepid young reporter in the mix, stir in a Church Lady who leads a group called “Ladies Organization to Stop Evil Rock Singers” and her submissive husband the Mayor in to sweeten the pot, and you have a recipe for a rollicking good time.

The songs weave together beautifully, the cast can sing and dance, and it is gorgeous to look at.

I have been recommending this one right and left. If you rocked on in the 80’s, go to remember. If you weren’t there, go to discover. I’ve had the songs reverberating in my head for days now. (And Tom Cruise is hot as Stacee Jaxx.)

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About RieSheridanRose

Rie Sheridan Rose multitasks. A lot. Her short stories appear in numerous anthologies, including Nightmare Stalkers and Dream Walkers Vols. 1 and 2, and Killing It Softly. She has authored twelve novels, six poetry chapbooks, and lyrics for dozens of songs. She tweets as @RieSheridanRose.